Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Today's Miscellany

Free Mojitaba and Arash Day: Two bloggers in Iran have been thrown in jail for saying things their government didn't like. You can join the effort to help them. Details here, here, and here. Credit to Francesca for the links.

It's reported officials of Washington, D.C. have apologized for using a school cafeteria as a weekend surgery for cats. For more amazing details, go to Cat Surgery in the Cafeteria.

Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post led off with the recent mini-furor over recorded private conversations with George W. Bush. Kurtz shares the view of most others that the tapes make Bush look good and the guy who released them look sleazy.

A Washington Post editorial takes a cautiously optimistic look at progress toward Middle East peace, with a nod to some positive results of Bush's policies.

Robert Samuelson accuses the media of "journalistic malpractice" because they ignore the math when reporting on Social Security issues. He concludes that "Bush's Social Security program is a hoax." Another in Samuelson's very good series of columns on this subject.

Here's a nice, fair-minded column by Anne Applebaum on the Larry Summers imbroglio at Harvard. It's the best of many pieces I've read.

Wesley Pruden wrote in the Washington Times on the political foolishness surrounding the warnings about a new HIV strain by New York City health officials. This one may irritate you.

According to a British press report, French President Jacques Chirac made a point of speaking French at a dinner with President Bush. This, despite the fact that Chirac speaks fluent English. Ah well, we Americans can't be expected to speak every minor language.

This from David Rennie of the London Daily Telegraph, published in the Washington Times, about the scramble among European leaders for facetime with Bush.

Overheard on a European Parliament escalator after President Bush's speech in Brussels about "mending fences" with Europe: "Did you hear, he quoted Albert Camus." "Well, there is no way he would possibly understand it." "I know, I mean he is hardly literate, you know."

Finally, another great classic Dave Barry column from 1998. It's worth registering at the Miami Herald.